Ilkay Gundogan happy to repay faith shown in him by Pep Guardiola by helping Man City claim title

Sport360 staff 12:22 17/04/2018
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  • German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan could move on to the Camp Nou.

    Ilkay Gundogan has paid tribute to manager Pep Guardiola, revealing his happiness at being able to repay the faith shown in him by the Catalan after he returned from a devastating injury by helping Manchester City claim the Premier League title.

    City were named champions of England for the third time in seven seasons in unexpected circumstances on Sunday when second-placed city rivals United went down to an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to bottom side West Bromwich Albion.

    German international Gundogan has been an intrinsic part of City’s dominant title triumph, fitting seamlessly back into the side this season after returning from a right knee cruciate ligament injury that overshadowed his summer 2016 arrival at the Etihad Stadium.

    The 27-year-old spent nine months on the sidelines after suffering the injury in December 2016 but has recovered this season to play 25 league games and score four goals in City’s merciless charge to the title.

    Gundogan was Guardiola’s first signing at City and he has credited the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss with getting him back to his best.

    “After my comeback he gradually gave me more and more time on the pitch, getting me closer and closer to my best possible performance,” said the 25-times capped Germany midfielder.

    “He has put much trust in me and I am happy I was able to pay some of it back during this season. I think he is one of the best coaches in the world and I’m really grateful to be able to work with him.”

    Gundogan was Guardiola's first signing when he arrived at City.

    Gundogan was Guardiola’s first signing when he arrived at City.

    Guardiola is renowned for his intensity and Gundogan provided an insight into that mentality, adding: “He was a great player himself, he has been in our shoes. He always asks for 100 per cent, in every training session, every match.”

    Guardiola’s first English title will be added to an impressive collection trophies during his 11-year managerial career which has seen him collect domestic titles in three countries.

    He won three league titles in Spain with Barca, as well as the Copa del Rey and Champions League twice apiece. In Germany he lifted three Bundesliga crowns and two DFB Pokals, adding the Premier League trophy to the EFL Cup this year.

    And even though City’s league triumph is a first English one for both Guardiola and Gundogan, the German says neither he nor his manager will be content with stopping at one.

    “Although some of our players have won it before, it’s our first title as a group of players under the new manager,” he said.

    “That step is always a difficult one but we have worked hard all season and we are delighted to achieve it. We have developed together and there is a lot of potential. What we all have to do now is to work hard and believe in our ability to keep succeeding.

    “But the competition in the Premier League is much harder than in Germany. We have five or six teams who are all able to win the league and that makes it incredibly difficult. But we are ambitious and we aim to win every game.

    “It’s really exciting to train among such good players. To compete with them means to push myself to new limits in every session. I think it is a great benefit for all of us. And with the long season and all the different competitions everyone has played their part.

    “If we continue with this mentality then there’s no reason we can’t continue in this way. We [he and Pep] share our idea of the game.”

    City’s stars celebrated their unexpected early coronation in a myriad of ways on Sunday, with the majority of the squad heading to the Railway pub in Hale, where they celebrated long into the night with fans and captain Vincent Kompany gave a rousing victory speech.

    The Belgian was joined by the likes of Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker and John Stones, while manager Guardiola was playing a round of golf with world number 12 Tommy Fleetwood.

    Even though they were given three days off from football by the boss, however, Gundogan didn’t stray too far away from his day job, taking in the Ruhr derby in his native Germany between former club Borussia Dortmund and Schalke.

    “I didn’t get to watch the United game. We’d been given a few days off by the manager and so I travelled over to Germany to watch the Schalke v Dortmund game,” said Gundogan.

    “I’d made my plans as soon as I realised that it wouldn’t interfere with our own matches, but it’s fair to say I didn’t expect the hear the news that United had lost.

    “I was still in the stadium with my cousin and uncle enjoying dinner after the game when news came through. Schalke v Dortmund is a pretty big deal in Germany and the most important derby in the Bundesliga so it was great to be there.”

    Gundogan’s own celebrations later that evening were perhaps a little calmer than those of his teammates back in Manchester, but he revealed the celebratory mood was encapsulated in the players’ WhatsApp group.

    “I spent a really nice evening with my family and friends at home,” added Gundogan.

    “There were no big parties for me though. Everyone was getting in touch to congratulate each other in our team WhatsApp group. None of us really expect it to happen last night but it was great that it did and I know the whole team have been celebrating.

    “It was a great moment for me – my first Premier League title. I’m obviously very happy. We have worked so hard for this and to win the title means so much to all of us having spent the season performing well.”

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